NDC STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL LEVEL MILITARY EDUCATION ---- IMPERATIVES AND IMPLEMENTATION : BANGLADESH CASE by Lieutenant General A T M Zahirul Alam,

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STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL LEVEL STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL LEVEL MILITARY EDUCATION ---- IMPERATIVES AND MILITARY EDUCATION ---- IMPERATIVES AND

IMPLEMENTATION : BANGLADESH CASEIMPLEMENTATION : BANGLADESH CASE

by Lieutenant General A T M Zahirul Alam, rcds, pscCommandantNational Defence College, Bangladesh

NDC INTRODUCTIONINTRODUCTION• Strategic domain encompasses both the state and the individual, and trategic domain encompasses both the state and the individual, and

includes all dimensions of security ------ military, politics, economic, includes all dimensions of security ------ military, politics, economic, social, diplomatic, technological and environmental.social, diplomatic, technological and environmental.

• It is a civil-military domain.It is a civil-military domain.

• Both internally and externally the role of military has expanded far Both internally and externally the role of military has expanded far beyond traditional military matters.beyond traditional military matters. State needs senior generals, admirals and air marshals who can both be expert on war fighting and provide solid advice on security and defence to political leadership.

• This societal demand on the intellectual and psychical bearing of top military leadership has added a new dimension to the profession of arms.

• Modern day military leaders not only need to be able commanders Modern day military leaders not only need to be able commanders in their professional duties but as well need to possess that light of in their professional duties but as well need to possess that light of intellectual comprehension whereby their commitment becomes an intellectual comprehension whereby their commitment becomes an indispensable order in the statecraft during crisis or emergency.indispensable order in the statecraft during crisis or emergency.

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Military Strategic Thought in Vogue in Bangladesh

• The brilliance of their idea is embodied in making war an The brilliance of their idea is embodied in making war an instrument of policy, thereby correctly establishing the umbilical instrument of policy, thereby correctly establishing the umbilical relationship between political objectives and military operations.relationship between political objectives and military operations.

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• Strategy is a highly pragmatic intellectual exercise. It is dependent on the realities of geography, society, economics, and politics, as well as on other factors that not only train minds to wage a war but as well educate military professionals to strategize ways how not to fight a war or orchestrate its peaceful resolution.

•The core military function of war fighting is embodied in the operational art which is an exclusive domain of the military professionals. This is highly combined and joint.

• Excellence and mastery in operational art therefore, still remains to be the core expertise of the military professionals.

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•The realm of strategy and operational art has been greatly influenced and shaped by changing global security paradigm. End of Cold War and emergence of new kinds of threats in failed and fragile states resulting into complex humanitarian emergency, global terrorism, WMD and internecine ethnic conflicts, gradual decline of inter-state wars and their replacement by global connectivity of warring parties have changed the ways wars were made in the last one hundred years.

•Expanded strategic domain, operational art and the new threats necessitates that military education be reformed and recast for present day scenarios and exigencies.

NDCThe Context of BangladeshThe Context of Bangladesh

IndiaIndia

ChinaChina

MyanmarMyanmar

BangladeshSouth Asia

Southeast Asia

GoldenTriangle

Bay of Bengal

Arkan

Northeast India


•As a nascent democracy, Bangladesh also faces domestic challenges.

•Bangladesh is a moderate Muslim country. Yet the wave of global terrorism has not spared her. She has also seen rise of homegrown radical Islam though presently it has been curbed significantly by effective handling.


•All these phenomena suggest that for Bangladesh, economic security and development strategy are inextricably intertwined with its political freedom to maneuver at national and regional levels. This is what makes Bangladesh military so pervasive in the holistic approach towards the question of national security and development.

•Military’s well-organized outfit has made it the most fundamental and effective force for employment during national crisis such as disaster management, insurgency and even political deadlocks.


• The Constitution of Bangladesh has conferred a great role upon Bangladesh and consequently her armed forces in the maintenance of global peace and security.

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All these operational and strategic issues, All these operational and strategic issues, because of their heightened nature and the because of their heightened nature and the strategic and domestic imperatives demand, that strategic and domestic imperatives demand, that military in Bangladesh play an important military in Bangladesh play an important politico-strategic role besides its functional politico-strategic role besides its functional military one. This, in turn, calls for a military military one. This, in turn, calls for a military education system that addresses cognizing all education system that addresses cognizing all the roles that the military is either entrusted or the roles that the military is either entrusted or burdened with.burdened with.

New Paradigm for Military EducationNew Paradigm for Military Education New Paradigm for Military EducationNew Paradigm for Military Education

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Military leaders must be expert in the Military leaders must be expert in the trilateral model of policy-strategy-operational trilateral model of policy-strategy-operational art.art.

The goal is to educate and train military leaders in double-hatted exigencies of war fighting with skills and expertise to combat the emergent new threats and politico-strategic counsels to state.


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Bangladesh has adopted an education system Bangladesh has adopted an education system that systematically educates a military leader through that systematically educates a military leader through the process of imbibing tactics, operational art and the process of imbibing tactics, operational art and strategy through different stages of learning. The strategy through different stages of learning. The three courses that embody the true culture of three courses that embody the true culture of professional military education from the lowest professional military education from the lowest tactical to the highest strategic with the interjection tactical to the highest strategic with the interjection of operational in the middle, are Staff Course, War of operational in the middle, are Staff Course, War Course and National Defence Course.Course and National Defence Course.

Professional Military EducationProfessional Military Education in Bangladesh in Bangladesh


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Staff CourseStaff Course



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Armed Forces War Course (AFWC)Armed Forces War Course (AFWC) Aims towards producing military commanders well versed in Aims towards producing military commanders well versed in

planning and management of warfare and operations other planning and management of warfare and operations other than war at operational art level.than war at operational art level.

The military experts of operational art also have to acquire a sound understanding of strategic and national security imperatives. Non-traditional security issues, such as terrorism, disaster management, conflict resolution, and peacekeeping-making to nation-building and their operationalization form part of operational art level studies.



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• National Defence Course (NDC)National Defence Course (NDC)– Educates the future policy makers of strategic level.Educates the future policy makers of strategic level. – Strategic education warrants interaction amongst civil-

military bureaucrats, academicians and experts for deeper understanding of the cross-cutting interplay at the national, regional and international levels with their attendant ramifications. So, civil-military mix is given such importance in the National Defence Course. This also prepares statecraft to be mentally adjusted for civil-military mix at strategic level of policy formulation and implementation.



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Military education in Bangladesh also owes Military education in Bangladesh also owes greatly to outside influences. Strategic and greatly to outside influences. Strategic and operational level education is augmented by operational level education is augmented by foreign training in renowned institutions both at foreign training in renowned institutions both at the neighborhood and the West.the neighborhood and the West.

Seminars, workshops and symposiums both at home and abroad qualify the Bangladesh military officers of today to remain current, cross-fertilize concepts and ideas in security, governance, global politics, economics, social aspects and many other vital issues.



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The military education in Bangladesh aspires towards The military education in Bangladesh aspires towards maintaining a full-spectrum dimension and vitality.maintaining a full-spectrum dimension and vitality.

Politico-strategic military education enable the Politico-strategic military education enable the military to engage in participatory nation-building without military to engage in participatory nation-building without the desire of military intervention in state-running.the desire of military intervention in state-running.

Top military leaders are not merely confined to Top military leaders are not merely confined to exploiting their energies in the operational art of warfare exploiting their energies in the operational art of warfare but also in the strategic art of providing effective advice to but also in the strategic art of providing effective advice to political leadership about strategic issues.political leadership about strategic issues.

Effects of Full-Spectrum EducationEffects of Full-Spectrum EducationEffects of Full-Spectrum EducationEffects of Full-Spectrum Education

NDC ConclusionConclusion

Bangladesh’s top military leadership has correctly Bangladesh’s top military leadership has correctly identified the all-encompassing functional role of the identified the all-encompassing functional role of the military leaders in the 21st century. It knows that its future military leaders in the 21st century. It knows that its future lies in espousing knowledge across the full spectrum.lies in espousing knowledge across the full spectrum.

That is why, military education in Bangladesh, in order to create world class military commanders and leaders, have made a fusion of operational art and strategic art, the combination of which will give the nation the professionals who would meet the challenges of 21st century both internal and external.

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Strategic and Operational Level Military Strategic and Operational Level Military Education Imperatives and Education Imperatives and

Implementation : Bangladesh CaseImplementation : Bangladesh Case

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NDC STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL LEVEL MILITARY EDUCATION ---- IMPERATIVES AND IMPLEMENTATION : BANGLADESH CASE by Lieutenant General A T M Zahirul Alam,